Aspects: The Will to Power
Uranus (Fool) Square
Pluto (Judgment)
Let your
imagination run away on this blog. Have an “imaginary moment” – a “what if”
time. It seems we are overlooking the obvious when talking about
both Tarot and Astrology in relation to Sacred Geometry. What connection do they have and how does this
relate to our lives? We’ll discuss an example of the correlation of all three
in the context of current events and circumstances.
To get started, in Astrology
with relation to Tarot, let’s take a look at the transiting square that has
been going on since 2007 - on through
2020, between Uranus (The Fool) in
Aries and Pluto (Judgment) in
Capricorn. We will not be looking at this square from a mechanistic point of
view as the cause of certain events, but rather as an archetypal pattern of
human behavior during these events.
Foolish Plutocrats
Richard Tarnas in his book Cosmos and Psyche, 2007, discusses
“the will to power” during a Pluto-Uranus square. (This same square between
planets was present from 1928 to 1937.)
“The
eruption of a collective will to power during Uranus-Pluto eras can also become
concentrated and embodied in a single powerful figure, a world historic
military conqueror or tyrant driven as if by a force of nature…Hitler,
Mussolini, Stalin and Mao [were all prominent leaders] during the square of the
1930’s.”
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| Dorflinger: Judgment German-Swiss Border |
So when we really look at this aspect we see The Fool in conflict with good Judgment.
Tarot and
planetary interpretation
The Fool is perceived as a vagabond, beggar, an adventurer who sets
off for anywhere, “riding the rails,” lacking judgment. This is one who
exemplifies guilelessness, lack of tact and naiveté. The Fool lives only in the
now. There is no introspection, no looking ahead. We can see fools all over
engulfed in silliness, folly, and even stupid behavior (especially in TV ads).
On the other hand, a court-type fool can be the wise coyote poking fun at the “king’s”
foibles.
Uranus - signifies rebellion, unpredictability,
defiance, the break up of old structures and the establishment. It’s full of surprises, and unexpected change. In Aries, it
could well mean doing battle and more war. (Haven’t we had enough already?) It
means a willingness to sacrifice for a cause, martyrdom. The main theme is
change and more change whatever form it may take.!
Judgment - Here we are examining everything and everyone in depth, even criticizing
and judging others. (What happened to “throw the first stone”?) In criminal
justice, the judge determines who is guilty or not, and assigns punishment. It
also means self-evaluation in examining your own life critically and trying to
resurrect yourself and take responsibility for your actions through
self-knowledge and introspection. Of
course good judgment is the hoped for aim.
Pluto – We can see underworld characters out in the open. For some it’s a trip to the
underworld. For others it’s a release from the underworld. It means the
breakdown and destruction of outmoded ways of doing things; uncovering hidden
truths and lies; deep secrets are revealed; there could be mass violence, power
struggles and predictions of world war; more earthquakes and exploding
volcanoes. In Capricorn, this affects governments in crisis and all structures
and institutions of power. (Sound familiar?)
The aspects of the planets and Tarot
Why are the
planets named after old gods and goddesses in mythology of long ago? For some,
we are examining qualities and attributes of human behavior signified by the archetypal
myths of the ancient gods and applying their meaning to our own lives.
Astronomy/Astrology and the earliest calculations of an ephemerides
originated in Babylon at least from the 6th to the 8th
century B.C.E. The Greeks then piled on their own names based on their gods and
mythology and imbued them with many layers of meaning. (See Ptolemy) One of the main components of Astrology in
connection with Sacred Geometry is the symbolic action of the aspects between
planets and their positions as they move around the Zodiac. These aspects are
angles known as square, trine, sextile, semi-sextile, quintile, quincunx,
opposition and conjunction, as measured within a Zodiac circle of 360°.
Square 90° - interpreted as conflict, difference
of opinion, argument, scuffle, strength to endure
Trine 120° - synthesis, coming together,
resolution, problem solving, agreement
Sextile 60° -
making adjustments, coordination, harmony, common ground
Quintile 72° - attraction, repulsion, caution, a new
direction
Opposition 180°- opposing forces, duality, pulling apart,
obstructions, non-agreement
Conjunction 0-10° - moving in tandem, mutual agreement, close
association
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| The Fool Niki St Phalle Tarot Garden |
What are the planets and their
association with the Major Arcana of Tarot?
Mary Greer, in her workbook, Tarot for yourself, Birth chart Mandala, gives a list of correspondences between the
planets, the Zodiac, and Major Arcana as follows:
Mercury - Magician
Venus – The Empress
Mars – The Tower
Jupiter – Wheel of Fortune
Saturn – The Universe
Uranus – The Fool
Neptune – The Hanged man
Pluto – Judgment
Sun – Sun
Moon – High priestess
“If at one time the Major Arcana
represented actual set figures in society, in the 20th Century, they
have come to represent the inner processes of the self, though the Tarot has
been cheapened as a fortune telling device – a quick fix to supposed knowledge
of impending events or the scary thrill of mysterious messages—it has at the
same time grown in stature as a coded body of wisdom…The images present stages
of psychic transformation.”
Jill Johnston, frontispiece of the book Niki Saint Phalle and the
Tarot Garden (Bentelli, Zurich, 2010).
